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thinking. and. there’s a very specific kind of bond you get with. friends raising friends, you know? like i always say that yj had huge parts in raising each other vs the original titans who had already been raised and who really . discovered who they were beyond that within each other and like. MAN. there’s of course the trauma and messy relationship of a parentified sibling and whatnot but the messy dynamics of a group of friends raising each other is also so very complex
i do think to some degree the titans helped each other but it wasn’t. raising each other it was carving out a home for them all in each other and whatnot but yj were really just kids and that bond is So Very Strong especially with the core four who continued to go on helping each other become people
not enough people talk about how much work the titans had to do to even be recognized by the league also. and they had to like. basically fight? tooth and nail? against their own mentors to be recognized as something in themselves and not just additions to their mentors. and they only had each other for that!!! dick grieved jason with the titans!!!! donna went through some of the most traumatizing self identity ass shit with the titans!!!!!!!!!! raven found a home with the titans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’m so
i just have lots of thoughts about friends raising each other + friends helping each other heal from the way they were raised
that’s also why i think it’s important people know the difference between the kind of teams the titans are + young justice was
with the titans. they were the originals! they built themselves a name, a safe space, a reputation and a family with each other. but they were the original younger heroes. while what they had was special to Just them, they also wanted to make the titans a safe space for all the younger heroes who needed a home and a family like they did. they looked back at their history and decided to try to help other young heroes avoid it. they added BRANCHES of the team. the original titans wanted to do everything in their power to prevent other young heroes from making their mistakes. what they have will always be special to them, but they’re willing to open the doors to what they built to every other young hero. they don’t have to, but they will. dick grayson, donna troy, roy harper, garth and wally west (and eventually, raven, garfield, kory and vic) built the kind of team that’s a legacy that many, many other young heroes can add to over the years. they’re not the league, but they can be and ARE mentors for young heroes, whether they’re personally involved in their lives or not.
with young justice? they raised each other. they depended on each other and trusted each other in ways they didn’t even realize. they bonded through it all. that’s not to say the titans didn’t, but it’s very different. whether it’s because of the people or the ages, it’s different. the titans have become a legacy with different branches but young justice was never going to be that. the core four are what’s left of young justice and they’re holding it too closely to their chests for there to ever really be another young justice that really involves them. greta’s not a ghost, cissie’s not a hero, slobo is gone and anita is basically gone. the four of them are all that’s left and whether they realize it or not (which i believe they do), they don’t WANT another team without those people. they can work with them, but it will never be like it was. the titans are a legacy, but young justice was just a family.
and like. i’m not saying the core four are wrong for that! i think they can be dicks about it but they aren’t inherently wrong for wanting to protect something so dear to them. tim isn’t dick, cassie isn’t donna, bart isn’t wally. they aren’t interested in building up a network of teams based on what they went through. they just aren’t. people have titans for that, young justice is for them. and i think that’s SUCH a solid difference in characterization for all of the characters involved. and it’s not like they’re selfish for it?? i’d argue they’re valid for it. the titans are also valid but man. it just. phew. things were so very different. i think the titans might have done it anyway, but if things were different, if there was another team and the roles were reversed (i.e young justice came before titans), they would be a little more hesitant to open up the titans to others.
that’s why in reverse robin aus where tim comes before dick and he has yj and it operates as essentially the titans, it doesn’t really work, imho. I JUST HAVE LOTS OF THOUGHTS